Criminal activity up on anniversary of AB 109

Monday

Oct 8, 2012 at 6:40 AMOct 8, 2012 at 6:43 AM

Lynnea Lombardo & Katie Lucia, Staff Writers

It's been just over a year since the controversial prison realignment act was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. And although much speculation and concern surrounds Assembly Bill 109, authorities are divided over whether the program is to blame for a recent rise in burglaries and violent crimes in cities throughout California.

"I don't know if I can say that AB 109 is the cause of the increase," Barstow Police Acting Chief Albert Ramirez said. "What I can say is that these offenders know their consequences are going to be lower because of AB 109."

The supervision of parolees at the county level was a part of AB 109, which aimed to reduce California's prison population by 33,000 inmates by June 2014. Under the bill, triple-non — non-violent, non-serious, non-sexual — offenders who would've been placed on parole will instead be monitored by local county probation agencies.

Sen. Sharon Runner pointed to AB 109 as the cause for crime increases across the state — especially in low-income areas, she said in a prepared statement.

"Crime is up and it's because of AB 109," agreed Rick Roelle, a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Lieutenant who works with rehabilitating inmates.

"It's a travesty. All these inmates are being released into the community, it's added to the homelessness problem and the homeless issue has increased."

Roelle said it's a misconception that these offenders are non-serious because their previous offenses are often overlooked.

"They're not looking at the offender's history, so once they are released they are reoffending," Roelle said. "That's why we see a large spike in burglaries and those types of crimes."

"There is a possibility that they (less serious offenders) may be responsible for the increase in crime," said Chris Condon, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County probation department. However, Condon said that placing blame on the AB 109 probationers is "speculative at best."

Runner's press release stated that the impact AB 109 had on low-income neighborhoods was "adverse," as the program diverts convicted felons from state prison to jail, where they are released and placed on probation sooner.

Condon refutes these claims, stating that AB 109 probationers are still required to serve their full sentence.

On a local level, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reports that Adelanto, one of the poorest cities in the High Desert, saw a 17 percent decrease in burglaries during the first four months of 2012 compared to the first four months of 2011.

Apple Valley, respectively, saw a slight 4 percent increase in burglaries during those same periods.

"The Governor's public safety plan accelerates the divide between 'the haves' and 'the have-nots,'" Runner said in the statement.

"As convicted criminals are diverted from state prison, they typically return to low income neighborhoods, not the gated suburbs and pristine coastal towns."

In the High Desert, the average median household income is roughly $47,000, according to the latest data from U.S. Census Bureau. California, as a whole, has a median household income closer to $61,000.

The press release said that the convicted felons are released early resulted in an increase in crimes especially in poor urban areas. Runner's press release specifically mentions several cities in California that saw increases in crime rates — including San Bernardino, which filed for bankruptcy and has seen a tremendous spike in homicides this year.

An independent report by the Public Policy Institute of California verified that convicted felons who would have gone to state prisons before realignment are less likely to be incarcerated or are incarcerated for shorter periods of time.

Roelle explained that AB 109 was passed after the state was sued because inmates were not getting proper medical care because of overcrowding.

"Probation is doing what they can," Roelle said. "They're trying their best, but it's not good for society and it's not good for the community."

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